On Books(Um, what else?)

I’m not a fan of Twilight and I wrote a speech about it for my English class. I wrote how I think it’s detrimental to our future, and essentially it’s about the effect of a book, but I’m regretting that I chose that topic. I love books a lot, and showing hatred towards one…I don’t know. If I could do it again, I would probably do it about censorship because censtorship gets me really fired up. It’s due in a week, but I spent a lot of time working on the first one, so I’m just going to keep the first idea and present early.

I don’t really believe in book-bashing because somebody has to like it. I do, however, believe in sharing my feelings for the effect of books and ways in which they could improve. Sometimes I feel so passionate about writing that emotion just spills out in laughter and I think, I can get paid for this. I can get paid for doing what I have to do anyways because if I don’t I’ll go crazy. I can be compensated with money, but more than that readers, recipients of my ideas, gift-givers and receivers. This never ceases to amaze me, but then I think that I pay for being the reader and the recipient of the idea, gift-giver and gift-receiver.

And that’s when I know it’s worth it.

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newerasoul said,

I haven’t read the Twilight series, but that doesn’t stop me from having an opinion on the matter. You don’t have to know what the inside of a tree looks like to see what kind of fruit it grows. Twilight has produced a mass following not because of pure originality, but because of an alteration to a classic idea. It has made the classical allegory of forbidden love more accessible to teenagers, thus extinguishing its timeless potency. There’s no intriguing mystery or emotional power to this particular interpretation of the vampire. Instead, all we find is teenage angst and high-school drama. Standing by itself, I’m sure the Twilight story is well-written. Compared to its original predecessor, Dracula by Bram Stoker, it does not hold a flame.

Twilight has produced a mass following because it is a shallow, enjoyable romance story. Don’t get me wrong–I became obsessive about it upon my first reading. And I reread it. And I reread it again. The (male) characters are ones with whom it is all too easy to fall in love–but that is as far as the story goes. The characters have absolutely no depth. Sure, you read and go WAIT! THIS GUY IS SO ATTRACTIVE! I THINK I LOVE HIM? But is that what characters should be about? No. They lack personality, true character, and depth of emotion. And the writing? Yeah, having read the entirety of the series, I assure you–it is not writing. It is face-level fun creations and nothing more. I have no problem with liking Twilight. We all have guilty pleasures (I love love love Meg Cabot, for example)–but one must have the realization that Twilight is hollow. And linguistically? It’s disgusting. Please, before you say that it stands alone from Dracula and the writing is of quality, skim through the thing. (And–promise I’m not just just saying that ’cause I’m a lil’ book-pretentious. It is legitimately, genuinely awful.) AND AND AND! I could rant about its treatment of women forever. Not just women–but romance. They talk once and are instantly in love. She is willing to sacrifice every. drop. of her being for him. Love and compromise, sure. But read the book. Hopefully you’ll see what I mean. It is idealized and absurd. (HOWEVER! Twilight has brought girls to read such books as Dracula and Wuthering Heights, so I will give in that it has a mild purpose in our society.)

Yes yes yes, exactly my points. I brought these up in my speech, especially about the effects the book has had on the female’s attempt to become like Bella(sacrificing any personality whatsoever) and the female’s search for an Edward-like figure. They don’t seem to understand he’s oppressive and not expressive in terms of showing his ‘love’ to her.

newerasoul said,

brenuh and dftbaasap,
I am in complete agreement with both of you, and I will have to eventually read the Twilight series. Not because I really want to (as a 24 year old male, vampire romance isn’t really on the top of my reading list), but because it’s beneficial to understand what our culture obsesses over and why.

Great thoughts, dftbaasap! And if I may ask, is the speech for a high school or college class? It sounds like college material to me and I hope you stick with it!

newerasoul said,

These kind of insights are rare for an eighth grader. I think you should definitely do the speech.

Books are the expression of independent thought. You shouldn’t censor yourself or your opinions, especially on this topic. So many teens will just go with the flow and allow pop-culture to decide what they think and feel. The fact that you’re brave enough to make up your own mind even if that means swimming against the current is awesome!